Football's dark side : corruption, homophobia, violence and racism in the beautiful game 2014

Association football is the richest, most popular sport in history with a multicultural global following. It is also riven with corruption, racism, homophobia and a violence that has for decades resisted all attempts to tame it. Cashmore and Cleland examine football's dark side: the unpleasant, sleazy and downright nasty aspects of the sport. Association football is the richest, most popular sport in history with a multicultural global following encompassing all religions. It is also riven with corruption, racism, homophobia and a violence that has for decades resisted all attempts to tame it. It is this Janus-faced quality that makes football so thrilling. Countless books have focused on the visibly glamorous, wholesome and admirable aspects of the sport. Cashmore and Cleland, by contrast, examine the unpleasant, sleazy and downright nasty aspects - football's dark side. Their approach is not to pontificate or judge, but to express the views of thousands of football fans on the game they love, but which they know has an unpleasant underside. Using their innovative topfan.co.uk research platform, Cashmore and Cleland have interviewed thousands of fans to present a matchless account of football from a new perspective. This is how fans view football's dark side. topfan.co.uk facebook.com/topfanproject @elliscashmore / @drjamiecleland "Association football is the richest, most popular sport in history with a multicultural global following encompassing all religions. It is also riven with corruption, racism, homophobia and a violence that has for decades resisted all attempts to tame it. It is this Janus-faced quality that makes football so thrilling. Countless books have focused on the visibly glamorous, wholesome and admirable aspects of the sport. Cashmore and Cleland, by contrast, examine the unpleasant, sleazy and downright nasty aspects - football's dark side. Their approach is not to pontificate or judge, but to express the views of thousands of football fans on the game they love, but which they know has an unpleasant underside. Using their innovative topfan.co.uk research platform, Cashmore and Cleland have interviewed thousands of fans to present a matchless account of football from a new perspective. This is how fans view football's dark side. topfan.co.uk facebook.com/topfanproject @elliscashmore / @drjamiecleland "-- Provided by publisher "Amid widespread contemporary expressions of positivity regarding football's assumed social value, one might be forgiven for thinking that the game's deleterious aspects are being consigned to history. Football's Dark Side provides a critical and timely rejoinder, demonstrating that beyond the glamour and spectacle an array of serious problems and exclusions endure."--Daniel Burdsey, School of Sport and Service Management, University of Brighton, UK Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. Front Matter....Pages i-v Introduction....Pages 1-13 Corruption....Pages 14-28 Homophobia....Pages 29-45 Violence....Pages 46-63 Racism....Pages 64-80 Conclusion: Why Study the Dark Side?....Pages 81-89 Back Matter....Pages 90-106